1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to crawl space and basement venting, and in particular, to a flood vent that opens to permit the flow of water through a crawl space or foundation level of a building in a flood area when the water level rises in order to avoid excessive hydrostatic pressure against the exterior walls of the structure that might cause the walls to collapse or cave in.
2. Description of the Related Art
To help limit flooding damage, several building code organizations and the federal government have promulgated regulations that mandate that buildings with enclosed spaces located below base flood plain levels, such as crawl spaces, must provide for automatic equalization of interior and exterior hydrostatic forces caused by rising floodwaters.
According to these regulations, flooding fluids must be permitted to enter and exit the enclosed spaces freely. Such regulations often require builders to install a number of vents in the enclosed spaces. For example, federal regulations promulgated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) require flood venting for the release of hydrostatic water pressure in new construction where the site has been designated as a flood-prone area. For example, a sealing device against flooding is disclosed in European Patent No. 1,441,102, published Jul. 28, 2004, which describes a device including two sheet panels having foam joints to ensure sealing. The device appears to operate more like a storm window than a flood vent and does not appear to address the aforementioned problems.
Additionally, it is common practice to use air vents to permit humid air to escape from crawl spaces, basements, and the like. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a flood vent with integrated air vents, yet having a minimal number of moving parts.
Thus, a flood vent solving the aforementioned problems is desired.